My youngest daughter, Paisley, has always loved Barbie. Before she was old enough to say Mattel, she knew when the Barbie Mariposa and Barbie in a Mermaid Tale DVDs would be available. So when we heard Barbie was coming to the big screen this year and would line up with her birthday, a b-day gift idea was born. We even secured pre-opening night tickets! On the big day, we drove up to Indianapolis for what we hoped would be a cinematic joy and were quickly surrounded by people in pink as we sunk into fancy reclining movie chairs…the only way to watch a movie, I now know. But I am reviewing the film, not the theater, so…
To get to it, Barbie was a pretty bad movie, in my humble, masculine, and unrefined opinion. I mean it. I know, I know…I am not the intended audience. You may be quick to say that a forty-something heterosexual male has no business complaining about the Barbie Movie—but you would be wrong. If age, race, sexuality, and gender can all be worn like reversible jackets, then surely I am qualified to be a movie critic, no matter the title of said movie.
(BTW, I went with my wife and daughters)
It had a lot of storylines. I mean too many.
Barbie had thoughts of death that came from another realm that happened to be our world that also happened to be run and ruined by men, and Ken and a brosef were fighting, all while Ken didn’t really need Barbie to be complete and the creator of Barbie bridged the worlds and let Barbie know she was enough on her own. Whew. Plus lotsa dancing.
But worse than that, it pushed unbiblical views that, if carried out, will continue to sabotage young men's and women's minds.
Here are a few things I found unhealthy:
The Goddess View:
When women rule, peace is the result. The movie opens with Barbie World running smoothly and perfectly. This is due to women having sovereign rule in Barbie World. The premise is that when women are in charge, it results in peace and harmony. This thought is carried through the whole movie.
The Danger:
The gender war is a cultural issue that can creep into local church congregations. If you google the Southern Baptist Convention, you can read how much of an issue this has become lately as it concerns parachurch organizations. The main issue facing religious organizations concerns whether women should pastor, run a church, preach at all, etc. I will not go into that argument for now.
There is a danger that the church could overreact on either side. But this movie tips the scale by making the viewer think women have been put down everywhere and the world is suffering because of it. The answer is to excuse and/or exalt women above men. If the church swallows this view, it creates a no-fly-zone over women. That is not good for everyone.
When this happens, and ministers approach Scriptures that deal with submission and women’s roles, they are forced to spend as much (or more) time with disclaimers in order to release the tension in the room. They will say things like, “If men had it together, women would just follow,” or something like that. Of course, there is some truth behind this. But the fact that Scripture teaches these particular things to women shows that women have specific areas that God aims to speak to. Women must be pastored, reproved, rebuked, and encouraged, too, and cultural ideals must not change that, or we will stop speaking God’s Word in these areas and suffer the results.An Assualt on male strength in relationships:
The movie says men, especially the patriarchy, are dangerous and toxic. Barbie aims at men, but the bullseye is the patriarchy. The writers make a caricature of the patriarchy by blending Old Western machoism and, as they often do, paint men as thick-headed oafs. They proceed to deliver a broadside on masculinity.
The Danger:
The patriarchy needs defining, of course. Our culture generally defines it as men leading anything or, more accurately, Christian men leading anything. I think Christians would do well to define it in-house. Patriarchy is men submitting to God, providing for, and protecting their families.
This changes how the church encourages and speaks to men. It means if we understand men are leading in the way above, we cannot always skip over everything and rush to say, “And by leading, I mean serving.” Of course, there is an element of serving, but men must lead their homes in teaching, prayer, and authority, taking responsibility, and in love. Patriarchy means men protect and provide and allow women to fill their homes with peace and goodness.
A godly husband loves his wife and seeks her counsel. He also loves her enough to make a decision, most of the time in agreement. But if they disagree, he leads by deferring or proceeding. But he leads. If that decision is made, either deferring or proceeding, and it is wildly successful, he praises her for her counsel. And if the decision is an incredible failure, either way, even with her counsel, he takes responsibility and praises her for her Scriptural submission. A submission that faithfully trusts and refuses to grumble. Any tension in the room?Barbie and Ken do not need to be a couple to be happy.
Of course, people don’t need another person to be happy. But don’t we have a storyline on these two already? Hollywood makes it a point to target this heterosexual relationship. In another trailblazing-groundbreaking-liberating-butsomehowrepetitive move, Hollywood has shown us that individuals areKingQueen.
The Danger:
Christianity is made up of relationships. Friendships, community, family, and marriage are all part of the family of God, the Church. Jesus was never married, but we know many of His friends’ names. He had a community. Most of the books in the New Testament were written for congregations. A quick glimpse of history, or for that matter, a quick trip to other countries, shows us that our hyper-individualistic ideals are not typical. We were made to be with people. And, the removal of people from relationships, whether romantic like Barbie and Ken, or creature-creator like Barbie and Ruth Handler, is not natural and not conducive for human, and even more so, Christian flourishing. We were made to be in a community with others. And, of course, we were made to be in a relationship with our Creator.The creator does not know what is best for the creation.
Toward the end of the movie, a new character is introduced. I’ll spare you my film-savvy insights on the late-to-the-movie storyline (eye roll emoji here). When Barbie is at the pinnacle of her crisis, which involves a deteriorating Barbie world and Barbie’s search for identity, her creator shows up. Ruth Handler, the creator of Barbie, enters the movie in the nick of time. And in a touching scene of vulnerability, Barbie can look to her creator for permission to be whatever she wants. She has everything she needs inside herself and simply needs her creator’s help to see it.
The Danger:
We like our creators to support us, encourage us, nudge us, and, most of all, celebrate us. But in the real world, a Creator makes us with a purpose and knows what is best for us. If we buy into the foolishness that we know best, we, like Barbie's World, will either end in chaos or have a false sense of peace. We must look to our Creator for salvation. And, wouldn’t you know it, after that, we receive an eternity of celebration? Ironically, Barbie had an identity crisis because she forgot why her creator made her. She was created to be a plastic toy, not a human. If that is the case, can you imagine where we as humans might be if we fail to ask our Creator our purpose?
Barbie ends with a surprising slap-in-the-face against current ideology. The last scene shows us she is finally human. It is meant to be exciting and touching. And how do we find out?
Barbie has an appointment with a gynecologist.
But wait! Aren’t we beyond female and male organs by now? Aren’t we past finding any identity in gender or sex? Aren’t genitalia optional and able to be traded, made, or changed at any time and any age? Why would she find confirmation in something so…inconsequential?
Maybe because somewhere inside ourselves, we all hope that a gracious and loving Creator makes us for a purpose. And that Creator assigns and designs our very being. Maybe it is comforting to suppose design and function mean we have a Designer and a purpose.
I was somewhat surprised when people, and I mean many pink-clad people, clapped and dabbed their eyes at the end of Barbie. More people cried and clapped at the end of Barbie than any other movie I’ve seen. I assume they are clapping at the triumph of the self. It felt like the film was a shot in the arm for secular humanity and our individualistic power and focus. These ideas are not neutral. If our children buy into them, things that should be black and white turn to gray, or Barbie Pink, or shoot, any color of the rainbow.
See why I am not a movie critic? I didn’t even get popcorn.
Oh, the girls did say the music and fashion were the best part of the movie.